MassDOT lays out trio of alternatives to revitalize Fall River waterfront

Saturday

Nov 23, 2013 at 12:01 AMNov 23, 2013 at 11:05 PM

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, working on a feasibility study to improve Route 79 and Davol Street, laid out details of three options for a corridor with the intention of connecting the city to the waterfront and increasing economic development, during a public meeting on Thursday.

Jo C. Goode

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, working on a feasibility study to improve Route 79 and Davol Street, laid out details of three options for a corridor with the intention of connecting the city to the waterfront and increasing economic development, during a public meeting on Thursday.

MassDOT Project Manager Ethan Britland said the study is the work of a mix of city organizations, local officials and transportation officials from MassDOT, the Office of Transportation Planning and South Coast Rail.

Alternative 1, which recieved the least favor from some of the people in the audience, would construct an elevated Route 79, which would essentially cut off the city from the waterfront, although there would be three new streets and one existing street that would access the waterfront.

There would be five new bridges constructed for east to west connections and both northbound and southbound sections of Davol Street would remain one way roads.

The study concentrates on approximately a mile-long area of Route 79 and Davol Street between Cedar Street and the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Alternative 2 would create an urban boulevard that would include Route 79. The northbound section of Davol Street would be eliminated and the plan creates a two-way street on the southbound side of Davol Street
Like the first alternative, there would be four streets to connect to the waterfront and all bridges would be removed except for a U-turn from northbound and southbound Davol Street near Brightman Street.

Alternative 3 would also create an urban boulevard with frontage roads with the northbound section of Davol Street remaining a one-way thoroughfare, and southbound Davol staying a one-way street south of President Avenue, then turning into a two-way street north of the avenue.

All alternatives would create new land for development, with the first scheme providing 10.1 acres, the second scheme 10.6 acres and the third providing 15 acres.

The issue with Alternative 3 is that, of those 15 acres, 13.37 is open space and not developable.

All of the alternatives will consist of a shared-use bicycle and pedestrian path that will connect with the Veterans Memorial Bridge bike path.

Alternative 1 comes with the heftier price tag at $100 million compared to the other two alternatives, estimated at $55 million each.

After the presentation, the public was given an opportunity to give their input.

Fall River Office of Economic Development Executive Vice President Ken Fiola said the idea for such a project really started in 2002 “in fits and starts” but never got off the ground as different governors and mayors came and went.

“I think it’s a credit to the community for keeping this alive,” said Fiola, who supported Alternative 2 because it provides more developable land and is much less expensive than Alternative 1.

When the accelerator bridge project is completed in 2016, the development community wants to dovetail on that project and move forward.

“So hopefully by 2019 to 2020, we have the entire waterfront completely constructed,” Fiola said.

Fiola urged the public to be informed about the proposed projects and provide in-put to MassDOT.

“”There’s going to be another (state) government coming in 2015 and we as a community need to carpe diem, seize the day, an impose on him or her that this is an important project to us as the South Coast rail. We just got to try to keep the momentum going.

More information on the study to improve Route 79 and Davol Street can be found at www.mass.gov/massdot/route79.